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<p>The South Korean Police on Friday (January 13) blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween stampede in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul on October 29 last year that killed 159 people. A special investigation team, which spent months combing through evidence and interviewing officials, said there were massive planning and response failures, a report by the news agency AFP said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sohn Je-hanm who led the investigation, said, "Organisations&nbsp;that are legally obligated to prevent and respond to disasters -- police, district offices and Seoul Metro -- did not establish safety measures in advance or came up with poor plans." Je-hanm said that on the day of the disaster, appropriate measures were not taken even after receiving rescue requests.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/police-officer-facing-probe-for-south-korea-halloween-crush-found-dead-533390">Police officer facing investigation for Itaewon Halloween crush in South Korea found dead</a></strong></p>

<p>The poor cooperation between agencies and delay in communications and relief efforts contributed to a higher number of deaths in the stampede, according to the report.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The investigation team named 23 people, including the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to prosecutors. On the other hand, six people have been arrested including Lee Im-jae, the former head of the Yongsan Police Station, which oversees Itaewon, and Park Hee-young, the head of the Yongsan district office.</p>

<p><strong>No top government officials blamed by special team, bereaved families criticise probe</strong></p>

<p>In its probe, the special investigation team of the South Korean Police did not blame officials from the Seoul city government, the interior ministry, or the national policy agency. Sohn Je-hanm said on Friday the reason for this was that it was "difficult to conclude that there was a concrete violation of duty", the AFP report said. Opposition lawmakers and bereaved families have criticised the police investigation for failing to hold top officials accountable for the tragedy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We have so many questions unanswered," Lee Jong-chul, head of a group representing the bereaved families, told reporters as he arrived at a prosecutors' office in Seoul, a report by news agency Reuters on Friday said. Jong-chu said he came to the office to give a victim's statement, expecting a better and expanded probe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Following the October 29 tragedy, South Korea's Minister of Interior and Safety <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/halloween-crowd-crush-south-korean-parliament-passes-no-confidence-motion-against-interior-minister-542098">Lee Sang-min has faced calls </a></strong>to step down. Lee Sang-min has been widely criticised for claiming that having more personnel from the police and the fire department would not have prevented the stampede. The minister issued repeated apologies including in person to the victim's families last week, the AFP report said. However, he has not offered to step down from the top post.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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The South Korean Police on Friday (January 13) blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween stampede in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul on October 29 last year that killed 159 people.

The South Korean Police on Friday (January 13) blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween stampede in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul on October 29 last year that killed 159 people. A special investigation team, which spent months combing through evidence and interviewing officials, said there were massive planning and response failures, a report by the news agency AFP said. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sohn Je-hanm who led the investigation, said, "Organisations that are legally obligated to prevent and respond to disasters -- police, district offices and Seoul Metro -- did not establish safety measures in advance or came up with poor plans." Je-hanm said that on the day of the disaster, appropriate measures were not taken even after receiving rescue requests. ALSO READ | Police officer facing investigation for Itaewon Halloween crush in South Korea found dead The poor cooperation between agencies and delay in communications and relief efforts contributed to a higher number of deaths in the stampede, according to the report. The investigation team named 23 people, including the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to prosecutors. On the other hand, six people have been arrested including Lee Im-jae, the former head of the Yongsan Police Station, which oversees Itaewon, and Park Hee-young, the head of the Yongsan district office. No top government officials blamed by special team, bereaved families criticise probe In its probe, the special investigation team of the South Korean Police did not blame officials from the Seoul city government, the interior ministry, or the national policy agency. Sohn Je-hanm said on Friday the reason for this was that it was "difficult to conclude that there was a concrete violation of duty", the AFP report said. Opposition lawmakers and bereaved families have criticised the police investigation for failing to hold top officials accountable for the tragedy. "We have so many questions unanswered," Lee Jong-chul, head of a group representing the bereaved families, told reporters as he arrived at a prosecutors' office in Seoul, a report by news agency Reuters on Friday said. Jong-chu said he came to the office to give a victim's statement, expecting a better and expanded probe. Following the October 29 tragedy, South Korea's Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min has faced calls to step down. Lee Sang-min has been widely criticised for claiming that having more personnel from the police and the fire department would not have prevented the stampede. The minister issued repeated apologies including in person to the victim's families last week, the AFP report said. However, he has not offered to step down from the top post. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

South Korea Halloween crowd crush: Cops blame negligence for fatal incident

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<p>South Korean police chief on Tuesday admitted responsibility for the distressing crowd surge that took the lives of over 150 during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon district of Seoul.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Reportedly, Yoon Hee Keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency in a televised press conference made the remarks, after the public piled pressure to fix responsibility on the authorities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“I feel a heavy responsibility (for the disaster) as the head of one of related government offices. Police will do their best to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/explained-how-is-a-crowd-crush-different-from-a-stampede-529829" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | Explained | How is a crowd crush different from a stampede?</strong></a></p>

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<p>Yoon admitted there were several lapses in response from the police. He said the initial investigation carried found that the urgent calls made by the citizens notifying them about the potential crush were not adequately responded to by the officers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The police chief added that an internal investigation had been opened to ascertain clearly how the officers had handled the emergency calls and other issues such as their on-the-spot response in the face of a crisis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The admission by the police chief comes a day after security experts said proper crowd and traffic control by South Korean authorities could have prevented or at least mitigated the surge of Halloween partygoers in the lanes.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-halloween-crush-the-tragedy-was-avoidable-experts-say-529969" target="_blank"><strong>Read more: South Korea Halloween crush: The tragedy was avoidable, experts say</strong></a></p>

<p>On Sunday, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-Yeol ordered a thorough investigation saying that the deadly stampede at the Halloween event "should not have happened".</p>

<p>"In the centre of Seoul, a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened," Yoon said in a national address, vowing to "thoroughly investigate" the incident and ensure it never happens again.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-around-50-suffer-cardiac-arrest-in-halloween-street-crush-529482" target="_blank"><strong>Read more: South Korea declares national mourning after 152 killed in Seoul Halloween stampede</strong></a></p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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South Korean police chief on Tuesday admitted responsibility for the distressing crowd surge that took the lives of over 150 during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon district of Seoul.

South Korean police chief on Tuesday admitted responsibility for the distressing crowd surge that took the lives of over 150 during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon district of Seoul. Reportedly, Yoon Hee Keun, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency in a televised press conference made the remarks, after the public piled pressure to fix responsibility on the authorities. “I feel a heavy responsibility (for the disaster) as the head of one of related government offices. Police will do their best to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.” WATCH | Explained | How is a crowd crush different from a stampede? × Yoon admitted there were several lapses in response from the police. He said the initial investigation carried found that the urgent calls made by the citizens notifying them about the potential crush were not adequately responded to by the officers. The police chief added that an internal investigation had been opened to ascertain clearly how the officers had handled the emergency calls and other issues such as their on-the-spot response in the face of a crisis. The admission by the police chief comes a day after security experts said proper crowd and traffic control by South Korean authorities could have prevented or at least mitigated the surge of Halloween partygoers in the lanes. Read more: South Korea Halloween crush: The tragedy was avoidable, experts say On Sunday, South Korea's President Yoon Suk-Yeol ordered a thorough investigation saying that the deadly stampede at the Halloween event "should not have happened". "In the centre of Seoul, a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened," Yoon said in a national address, vowing to "thoroughly investigate" the incident and ensure it never happens again. Read more: South Korea declares national mourning after 152 killed in Seoul Halloween stampede (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

South Korean police chief admits responsibility for the Seoul tragedy

<p>Sunday (October 30) proved to be a day when families were forced to search for their loved missing ones after the deadly Halloween stampede in South Korea capital Seoul. Family members collected bodies, parents searched their children as the nation sought answers for the tragedy that killed at least 153 on an evening which was supposed to be a celebration.</p>

<p>South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning. The president has declared Seoul's Itaewon district a disaster zone.</p>

<p>"This news came like a bolt from the blue sky," said a father who burst into tears as he collected his daughter's body from a morgue in the nation's capital.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | South Korea Halloween horror: President Yoon Suk-yeol visits stampede site</strong></p>

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<p>The tragedy occurred on Saturday night as a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley. Those killed were mainly teenagers and young adults in their 20s.</p>

<p>Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, told a briefing at the scene that 82 people were injured, 19 of them seriously. The deaths included 22 foreigners, he said.</p>

<p>Families and friends desperately sought word of loved ones at community centres turned into facilities for missing people.</p>

<p>At least 90% of the victims had been identified by midday, with delays affecting some foreign nationals and teenagers who did not yet have identification cards, the Interior Ministry said.</p>

<p>Makeshift memorials began appearing near the site, with onlookers leaving flowers and notes.</p>

<p>President Yoon expressed condolences for the victims and his wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured in one of the South Korea's worst disasters and the world's worst stampedes in decades.</p>

<p>"This is truly tragic," he said in a statement, vowing an investigation into the cause of the disaster. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night."</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Sunday (October 30) proved to be a day when families were forced to search for their loved missing ones after the deadly Halloween stampede in South Korea capital Seoul.

Sunday (October 30) proved to be a day when families were forced to search for their loved missing ones after the deadly Halloween stampede in South Korea capital Seoul. Family members collected bodies, parents searched their children as the nation sought answers for the tragedy that killed at least 153 on an evening which was supposed to be a celebration. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning. The president has declared Seoul's Itaewon district a disaster zone. "This news came like a bolt from the blue sky," said a father who burst into tears as he collected his daughter's body from a morgue in the nation's capital. Watch | South Korea Halloween horror: President Yoon Suk-yeol visits stampede site × The tragedy occurred on Saturday night as a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley. Those killed were mainly teenagers and young adults in their 20s. Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, told a briefing at the scene that 82 people were injured, 19 of them seriously. The deaths included 22 foreigners, he said. Families and friends desperately sought word of loved ones at community centres turned into facilities for missing people. At least 90% of the victims had been identified by midday, with delays affecting some foreign nationals and teenagers who did not yet have identification cards, the Interior Ministry said. Makeshift memorials began appearing near the site, with onlookers leaving flowers and notes. President Yoon expressed condolences for the victims and his wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured in one of the South Korea's worst disasters and the world's worst stampedes in decades. "This is truly tragic," he said in a statement, vowing an investigation into the cause of the disaster. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night." (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

South Korea Halloween stampede: Nation mourns as it seeks answers

South Korea's Halloween Horror that killed at least 153 people reminds the world about some of the major crowd disasters that took place in the last two decades. These disasters resulted in a large number of fatalities.

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South Korea Halloween crowd crush: Cops blame negligence for fatal incident

South Korean police chief admits responsibility for the Seoul tragedy

South Korea Halloween stampede: Nation mourns as it seeks answers

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